Protea News: May’s Articles and Blogs of Interest from Around the World

Changing the landscape

He bet the farm on an unfamiliar flower—now protea is a breakout star

On a patchwork of some 15 parcels of hilly land with rocky, dry soil in northern San Diego County, Ismael "Mel" Resendiz has carved out a floral paradise. His farm, clinging to steep, remote hillsides and linked to civilization with narrow dirt roads, many of which Resendiz himself built, defies convention. So does its signature product, the otherworldly but undeniably lovely protea. Read more here.
                                                                                                                                                             

SA wins gold at Chelsea Flower Show

London - South Africa won gold at the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society Chelsea Flower Show in London on Tuesday. SA has won gold 36 times in the 43 years it has exhibited at the international flower show.

Designer and gardener Leon Kluge of the Kirstenbosch National Botanical Garden an his team presented a culturally oriented display featuring not only SA’s unique flora, but also the Cape Flats. Read more here. 
                                                                                                                                                         

Although they may just recently have been swarming social media in shots of floral designs, proteas have been around for a very long time. The large and extremely diverse family is known to have originated at a time when much of the Earth’s landmass had amalgamated into one supercontinent. Later, sections of the supercontinent drifted apart and formed the continents we know today—which is why we find members of the wide-ranging protea family native to regions as far apart as Australia, South America and South Africa. Read more here.
                                                                                                                                                                  

Colourful Native Wedding at the Palais Theatre, Franklin

For a February wedding, the brief was "colourful" and "native" with the bride's dress in a dark bottle green. What fun! A beautiful White King Protea formed the centrepiece of the bride's bouquet, making sure there was a real contrast with the dark green of the dress. The King Protea was surrounded by lots of colour and fabulous foliage. Read more here.

Field to Vase: San Diego Zoo Safari Park

ENVISION YOURSELF… following a backcountry road shaded by eucalyptus trees, with brilliant red bottlebrush blooms waving to you in the breeze. Follow the path of the roo as you are transported Down Under to walk among kangaroos, wallabies and more—this is San Diego Zoo Safari Park Walkabout Australia!

On Memorial Day weekend, the Safari Park will open the new Walkabout Australia habitat, a lushly landscaped walk-through exhibit where visitors can see up close — and in some cases, touch — several species native to the land Down Under. They include Western gray kangaroos, red-necked wallabies, Southern cassowaries, Matschie’s tree kangaroos and magpie geese, as well as native Australian plants.

The Safari Park hosted a special dinner prior to the opening day to commemorate the new habitat and they needed 25 centerpieces to go with the decor. The horticulture staff at the park recommended the event staff contact Resendiz Brothers for the flowers. We were excited to be able to use an assortment of beautiful protea and Australian native flowers and foliage to create the perfect arrangements for the occasion.

To learn more - click here.

Behind the Scenes: Brought to You By Water

Brought to You by Water is a new outreach and education program by the San Diego County Water Authority and its 24 member agencies to raise awareness about the vital importance of safe and reliable water supplies to San Diego County’s economy and quality of life.

Tourism, Manufacturing, Brewing and Agriculture are four of the top industries, and they power our $220 billion economy – the 16th largest regional economy in the country. These industries help make San Diego County a thriving destination.

The Brought to You by Water program offers a new platform for promoting iconic local industries and building exposure by aligning them with a cause that everyone supports – clean, reliable water. Resendiz Brothers was one of the eight industry partners selected to participate in this program. Promotional materials created will be used online and during live events attended by elected officials, media, business leaders and water experts, starting with a launch event near Memorial Day and continuing into 2019. The program will offer opportunities for businesses and industries to promote achievements in water-use efficiency and the importance of maintaining San Diego’s water infrastructure.

Take a look behind-the-scenes at our day spent with the San Diego County Water Authority.

Thank you to Amy Clay and the crew from the color bar for making this field trip a fun and worthy adventure. We can’t wait to see the video!

Eucalyptus Foliage

Eucalyptus foliage is very popular this spring, from leafy garlands, to lush wreaths and verdant displays. We love the remarkable array of shapes and sizes that are found in nature, from long, thin, oval, round, feathery and diamond. These wonderful botanicals add volume, texture and height to decor. And when it comes to color, most foliage is green, simply because all photosynthetic plants rely on chlorophyll for energy. Green is considered a neutral color and can often be left out in planning a color scheme. There are many different shades of green - from light and dark hues, blue and silvery tones. Matching the right eucalyptus to colorful flowers can have a subtle but very powerful impact.

Here are some of the varieties we’re harvesting.

Eucalyptus pyriformia

Eucalyptus mimiata

Eucalyptus blue gum

Eucalyptus rudis

Eucalyptus sideroxylon

Eucalyptus leucoxylon

Eucalyptus willow

Waratah Bouquet

Flowers are the special things that can change just about everything. From bouquets of fresh-cut garden flowers to extravagant arrangements, each inspires a burst of joy and a lot of wonderment. With spring’s abundance of blooms and foliage, I ventured into the fields to see what treasures I could find to create something simply elegant.

During this trip into the fields I realized the phrase ‘Better Late than Never’ certainly applied. As I came across two of my favorite spring flowers that typically bloom in March… Waratah and Boronia, I knew I was on the right track. I reminded myself that the name Waratah is an Aboriginal name for “beautiful” and the botanical name Telopea means “seen from a distance’.  There was no doubt that I'd miss any of these Waratah, even if they're late bloomers. The Boronia also couldn’t be avoided as that wonderful lemony fragrance drew me right to the petite, bell-like flowers with delicate deep green leaves.

I found my treasures and knew I could create something fabulous.

As I gathered stems of leucadendron, banksia foliage and berzelia to complete by bouquet, I felt inspired!

In the Field: Leucospermum High Gold

Greens so unsullied you feel calm and invigorated. Clear, bright yellow pincushions spring forth from the robust dark green foliage like fireworks. High Golds in the fields look almost neon, and all of this natural beauty is set against a vibrant blue sky. This is springtime in Rainbow.

Leucospermum High Gold is one of our favorite cultivars here on the farm and typically harvested April through June. Their fabulous foliage provides a striking contrast to yellow pincushion flower heads that are prominently displayed on long, straight stems. High Gold is a cross of Leucospermum cordifolium 'Yellow Bird' and Leucospermum patersonii, the pollen parent. High Gold not only makes a wonderful cut flower, but it is also a favorite among gardeners as well.

These amazing flowers add so much texture to bouquets and arrangements, and they look fabulous mixed with just about any other spring blooms.

Yellow is the color of sunshine, hope, and happiness. Yellow stands for freshness, happiness, positivity, clarity, energy, optimism, enlightenment, remembrance, intellect, honor, loyalty, and joy.